Established in 1862, the Department of Agriculture serves all Americans through anti-hunger efforts, stewardship of nearly 200 million acres of national forest and rangelands, and through product safety and conservation efforts. The USDA opens markets for American farmers and ranchers and provides food for needy people around the world.
Not Applicable.
Uses and Use Restrictions
The funds can be used for an implementation study around school wellness policies (see RFA for more details).
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
Blank.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Blank.
Credentials/Documentation
No Credentials or documentation are required. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.
Aplication and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
Preapplication coordination is not applicable.
Environmental impact information is not required for this program.
This program is excluded from coverage under E.O.
12372.
Application Procedures
OMB Circular No. A-102 applies to this program. OMB Circular No. A-110 applies to this program.
Award Procedures
FNS will pre-screen all applications to ensure that they contain the required documents and information. Application will need to be submitted by eligible applicants, meet all other eligibility requirements stated in this RFA, submitted on or before the required deadlines, are completed and are in the required format. If an application does not include all appropriate information, FNS will consider the application to be non-responsive and will eliminate it from further evaluation.
Following the initial screening process, FNS will assemble a peer panel group to review and determine the technical merits of each application. The peer panel will evaluate the proposals based on how well they address the required application components. The peer panel members will recommend applications for consideration for a grant award based on the evaluation scoring. The selecting official reserves the right to award a grant to meet agency priorities, program balance, geographical representation, or project diversity. FNS reserves the right to use this solicitation and competition to award additional grants in future fiscal years should additional funds be made available through future appropriations.
Deadlines
Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.
Authorization
Section 204 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 added Section 9A to the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) (42 U.S.C. 1758b), Local School Wellness Policy Implementation, in order to strengthen wellness policies of LEAs by placing greater emphasis on implementation and evaluation efforts.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Not Applicable.
Appeals
Not Applicable.
Renewals
Not Applicable.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
Statutory formulas are not applicable to this program.
Matching requirements are not applicable to this program.
MOE requirements are not applicable to this program.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
The total time period for which a grant or cooperative agreement is awarded may not exceed 60 months. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Funding will be made to successful recipients as specified in the terms of the grant or cooperative agreement with Food and Nutrition Service or as applicable under federal regulation requirements. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: quarterly.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
The project description shall address what types of final deliverables will be submitted and/or published for each researcher-initiated project.
The project description shall address what types of deliverables will be submitted and/or published at the end.
It shall also describe what types of deliverables will be submitted and/or published by the Recipient during and at the end of the Cooperative Agreement.
For internal use informational purposes, FNS shall be provided an electronic copy of all manuscripts resulting from this grant at the time of submission for publication and in final form when published.
The project description shall address how the findings will be disseminated to School Wellness stakeholders and the academic community.
Grant funding may be used to cover travel expenses and other expenses associated with this presentation.
A final presentation shall be held at FNS headquarters or another location agreeable to FNS.
No cash reports are required.
The recipient will be responsible for managing and monitoring the progress of the grant project activities and performance.
The award document will indicate the reporting schedule for submitting project performance/progress reports to FNS.
Any additional reporting requirements will be identified in the award terms and conditions.
The award recipient will be required to enter the SF-425, Financial Status Report data into the FNS Food Program Reporting System (FPRS) on a quarterly basis.
In order to access FPRS, the grant recipient must obtain USDA e-authentication certification and access to FPRS.
More detailed instructions for reporting will be included in the FNS Federal financial assistance award package.
See RFA.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records
Records (financial/administrative/grant) are to be maintained according to the time requirements specified in the terms of the grant, or cooperative agreement with Food and Nutrition Service or as applicable under federal regulation requirements.
Financial Information
Account Identification
12-3539-0-1-605.
Obigations
(Salaries) FY 13 Not Available; FY 14 est $1,700,000; and FY 15 Estimate Not Available - The award funds will be distributed incrementally over the grant award period.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
No Data Available.
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature
Not Applicable.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
None.
Headquarters Office
Karen A. Castellanos-Brown 3101 Park Center Dr., Alexandria, Virginia 22302 Email: Karen.Castellanos-Brown@fns.usda.gov Phone: 7033052732
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Scoring for Grant Applications
Need, Readiness and Likelihood of Success 25 points
• The applicant is appropriate for the grant, i.e. the applicant can demonstrate support and readiness for starting (or adapting and continuing) a school wellness policy surveillance system.
Alignment with School Wellness Policy Surveillance System Program Goals 25 points
• The project goals and objectives are in line with the School Wellness Policy Surveillance System Cooperative Agreement focus areas and purpose of the funding described in this RFA.
Project Design and Management 30 points
• The qualifications of the staff involved with the proposed project and/or organizational leadership reflect the expertise necessary to carry out the proposed project and reporting requirements. (Resumes of key staff are required).
• The management approach indicates that the applicant has the capacity to manage and execute the planning project successfully to meet the goals of the project.
Sustainability and Transferability 10 points
Budget Plan 10 points
• The total funding amount requested is appropriate for the scope of the project.
• Project costs are reasonable, necessary and allocable to carry out the project s goals and objectives.
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